Rocky Mountain National Park Located 70 miles northwest of Denver, pets are not allowed on the trails. Pets must be on leash and only in parking lots, campgrounds and areas accessable by car. Front Range. This region includes trails along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. Indian Peaks Wilderness--Entrance to the area is the town of Nederland. Lost Creek Wilderness--Forty miles southwest of Denver in the Pike National Forest. A twenty four mile circuit. Lost Lake--A day hike of 4 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 800 feet. Trail begins just west of Nederland and folloows an old mining road. Sights include breathtaking views and beautiful wildflowers. Lost Lake, at the foot of Bryan Mountain, is the site of the remains of a mining town from the 1800s. Heart Lake--May be a day hike or an overnighter. Round trip is 10 miles with an elevation gain of 2,090 feet and culminates at Heart Lake, which lies in a grassy basin above timberline. Access to the trail is southwest of Nederland at the east Portal of Moffat Tunnel. Timberline Falls/Buchanan Pass Trail-- An easy hike of either 4 miles round trip to Timberline Falls (elevation 9,100) or continue on from Timberline Falls another 2 miles to St. Vrain-Buchanan Pass Junction (elevation 9,583 feet) (8 miles round trip.) Take highway 72 west from Ward through the Peaceful Valley Campground and Camp Dick. Trailhead parking (elevation 8,680) is 1.5 from the highway. The trail parallels Middle St. Vrain Creek and includes views of wildlife, wildflowers and St. Vrain Mountain (12,162 feet). Rock slabs provide picnic spots at Timberline Falls where Middle St. Vrain Creek drops off into a chasm it has created in the bedrock. Gibraltar Lake--strenuous-- either a day hike or an overnighter into the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. Round trip of the entire trail is 16 miles. If you wish to camp, you must obtain a permit between June 1 and September 15. Call 303-444-6600. Take highway 72 west from Ward through the Peaceful Valley Campground and Camp Dick. Trailhead parking is 1.5 miles from the highway. Trailhead altitude is 8,680 feet with the trail rising to 11,200 feet at Gibraltar Lake, an elevation gain of 2,520 feet. The trail parallels Middle St. Vrain Creek. This trail includes the easier Buchanan Pass Trail for 4 miles then sharply ascends towards Gibraltar Lake via the St. Vrain Glacier Trail. Although not for the beginner, the views are spectacular of wildlife, wildflowers, St. Vrain Mountain (12,162 feet) Elk Tooth mountain (elevation 12,848 feet) and Ogalalla Peak (13,138 feet). Mount Audubon--A moderate day hike which on a clear day will offer views north to Longs Peak and south to Mount Evans. The round trip hike is eight miles long. The trail begins at elevation 10,480 and rises to 13,223 thus is largely in alpine tundra. It covers primarily a well marked trail, until the final 623 feet which is a scramble across a boulder field to the summit. Take Highway 72 through the town of Ward. Take the turn off just north of the town limits west for Brainard Lake Recreation area for almost 6 miles. Pass the pay station and Brainard Lake to the Mitchell Lake Trailhead parking area. The Audubon Trailhead is on the northwest of the lot. Diamond Lake--easy day hike of 5 miles round trip. The trailhead is at 10,160 feet and the trail rises only 800 feet to Diamond Lake (10,960). Several secluded campsites enable this to be an overnight trip. The trail begins at the Fourth of July Trailhead. To reach it, go west out of Nederland on County Road 30 for 4.7 miles to the town of Eldora. Turn right at the Y-junction and go 5 miles to the Buckingham Campground. The parking lot is on uphill to the right, past the outhouses. Devil's Thumb Lake --a moderate day hike of 11 miles round trip. The trailhead is at 9,010 feet elevation. The trail climbs to Devil's Thumb Lake, elevation 11,150 feet. It starts at the ghost town of Hessie and follows an old mining road much of the way through mountain meadow and spruce and aspen forest. The profusion of wildflowers is spectacular. The skyline is dominated by the peaks of the Continental Divide. Continuing 600 feet up the pass beyond the end of the trail gives a view to the north to the Never Summer Wilderness area, to the west to the Gore Range and to the east to the Great Plains To reach the trailhead, take highway 72/119 to the south end of Nederland, turn west onto County Road 130. Drive 4.7 miles through the town of Eldora. At the Y-junction, go left and follow signs to the townsite of Hessie. Follow the dirt road one mile to a small parking area. The trail starts across a wooden bridge over the North Fork of the Middle Boulder Creek. Barr Trail and Pikes Peak -- a very strenuous hike of 26 miles. Altitude change is from 6,600 feet at the trailhead to 14,110 at the summit of Pikes Peak. This is a best done as a two-day hike by all but the hardiest of hikers. Overnight camping is an option or lodging at Barr Camp, which is at the half way point, if you have called ahead for reservations. (719-636-1602) Another option is to leave a car at the summit, shuttle to the bottom and only hike the13 miles one way. There is a cog railroad down but space is limited. It is still a strenuous climb and not for inexperienced or unconditioned hikers. The trail passes through forests of fir and pine, meadows of spectacular flowers, and spectacular vistas. Wildlife that inhabit the area include Bighorn sheep, marmots, tiny mammals called pika, and the ptarmigan, a native bird of the alpine tundra. To reach the trailhead, go west out of Colorado Springs on Highway 24 for 6 miles. Take the first Manitou Springs exit and drive west through town. Turn left on Ruxton Avenue for .7 miles to the Pikes Peak Cog Railway station. Pass the station and turn right up the hill to the Barr Trail parking lot. Lost Creek Wilderness Loop -- a 24-mile circular trail, this is a three-day backpack trip of moderate difficulty but extremely popular. The trail winds through spectacular rock formations as it goes from an altitude of 8,200 feet to 11,600 feet and back again. Backpackers must bring all of their own food and necessities as there are no organized facilities available. To reach the trailhead, go west out of Denver on Highway 285 to the town of Pine. Turn south on County road 126. Drive approximately 22 miles to just south of Wigwam Campground and turn right (west) on forest road 211. Follow the signs to Cheesman Lake and Goose Creek Campground. To do this you will go west for about a mile on forest road 21 to a fork in the road. Take the left fork and continue about 5 miles through the Molly Gulch Campground then turn right and go almost 5 miles to Goose Creek Campground. Go right onto the Goose Creek Trail head for about a mile-and-a-half.